Our Story

Some people find their passion – and others inherit it. Itamar Even is in the second camp. The son of one of Israel’s most famous ceramicists, who tragically died far too young, Itamar decided to continue in his father’s footsteps and take his seat at the kiln.

In an industrial center in the Galilee, next to a boutique winery and bakery, is a small cosmetics gem of a store called Michal Soaps. First established by Michal and her husband in their own backyard, Michal Soaps makes all-natural cosmetics that have become something of a “must have”’ in Israel.

Emphasizing all-natural ingredients, this community focused company now employs over 35 people who craft all-natural soaps and cosmetics by hand.

In the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem,  Simcha founded Off the Wall  out of a desire to deliver the best spices in Israel to visitors from around the world.

As Simcha tells it, his love for high quality spices and the Land of the Bible came from his childhood. He grew up as one of 14 children on Mount Zion, just outside the Old City walls, and was inspired by the sites, sounds and smells of this holy city – smells like rosemary, sage and lavender that can be found dotting the hills of this golden terrain.

Along with his brother-in-law Akivah, they work to deliver the highest quality local spices from spice farms around Israel.

Jamil has been carving some of the most beautiful olive wood in Bethlehem, including the Christmas ornaments in this quarter’s box.For Jamil, olive wood isn’t just a material – it’s a calling.

As he told us,
“Wood crafting is a skill the people of Bethlehem picked up from the Crusaders in the 15th century. I love olive wood because no two pieces are the same. Each piece has its own character that spans generations, as the trees should be kept for 150 years before being used for carving. And, of course, the olive tree is mentioned in the Bible as a holy tree – it was, after all, an olive branch that the dove carried to signify the end of God’s wrath and the flood.”

A young immigrant to Israel named Rudi Weissenstein moves to the Holy Land from his native Czechoslovakia. And, with little more than a camera and a dream, Rudi soon establishes himself as the most significant photographer of young state.

Over a career that spanned six decades, Rudi captured some of the most important moments in the history of Israel and amassed a collection of over one million shots of the Holy Land.

Today, his legacy is being carried on by his grandson Ben, who took over his grandfather’s store, aptly called “Hatzelmania” in Hebrew, which means the Photohouse.

Just outside the center of Nazareth, on a hill overlooking the green valleys of the Galilee, is a studio where a young soap-maker named Tereza is living out her dream.A mother of three, Tereza went to school to learn how to make all natural, high quality soaps, and now sells them across Israel.

Tereza created a custom, hand-made soap for Artza members that is refreshing and aromatic, and which truly highlights the best of her craft.

In the city of Cana in the Galilee, there is an award-winning olive oil factory and a unique non-profit looking to make changes for the better from the ground up. It may surprise you to learn that they are one in the same.

Established in 1996, Sindyanna of Galilee is the only certified Fair-Trade olive oil producer in Israel. The boutique producer employs Arab and Jewish women and endeavors to create economic opportunities while supporting local olive growers and producers.

Following her dream, Yonat moved to the desert and the first thing that welcomed her was pure silence and bare land, which was exactly what she needed.She fell in love with it immediately.

After starting her family, and adopting a healthy lifestyle, started making her own natural care products based off of ancient techniques.

She named her small business Yonat Midbar, meaning Yonat of the desert, or desert dove, feeling that connecting to the desert is her destiny.

Nowadays Yonat make different kinds of natural care products and shares her knowledge by giving workshops and desert plants tours in the Judean Desert. Yonat’s vision is to enjoy the connection to the desert nature, and spread this joy with the world.